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Bill boots unruly coaches

Obnoxious youth sports coaches who get booted for their unruly behavior would be suspended for the rest of the season under a bill that appears to be moving through the Florida Senate.

"My guess is every one of you has seen a coach, a parent-coach, on the other side that is obnoxious and sometimes goes beyond obnoxious," Sen. Jeremy Ring told members of the Senate Community Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

Ring, D-Margate, says the bill is born out of personal experience. He coaches his 8-year-old daughter's soccer team.

"Some of the things I see on the field, they're really scary at times," he said. "And I would say as coaches we're supposed to be teachers and some of the behavior is just unacceptable."

The bill requires coaches who get kicked out of games involving children 12 years old or younger to be benched for the rest of the season. It also includes a provision for those organizing the leagues, like Pop Warner, the YMCA and others, to set up an appeals system for coaches to make up for "overzealous refs," Ring said.

The coach would be reinstated the next season if the organization deems them qualified.

The bill includes no punishment, meaning violators of the law would not be fined or arrested, Ring said. He said he didn't include a punishment because it would require an appropriation for enforcement. He hasn't set out any specific guidelines for an appeals process, only saying it would be up to the organizations.

"We wouldn't allow this behavior for our teachers in school," he said.

There are currently state laws on the books for private youth sports leagues. Last year, a bill sponsored by Ring requiring background checks for coaches became law.

Ring noted concerns that the law over-extends government by meddling into the affairs of youth sports.

"My answer to that is very simple," he said. "These are all teachers and they really are showing I think more than poor judgment, dangerous judgment to not just their own children but all the children that are on the field."

Kip West, who has for years coached youth baseball in Tallahassee, said he's not in favor of the proposal. It would only take a misunderstanding umpire, or one who is having a bad day, to end the season for a coach.

"I'm not a fan of that," he said. "There's got to be degrees to it."

West said a better system would involve levels of discipline, but not a "one and done" policy like the bill puts forward. It would also directly impact sports like baseball, where debating calls is part of the game.

"Your going to basically take away a part of the game and sport," he said.

The bill, which was approved by a vote of five to one without debate, must go before two more committees before reaching the Senate floor. An identical bill (HB 479), sponsored by Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, has not been put on a committee agenda. Ring said he believes the bill will "struggle in the House."